


See No Evil

by saadiswrites



Series: See No Evil, Speak No Evil, Hear No Evil [1]
Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Bad Ending, Blindfolds, Branding, But Mostly Hurt, Flogging, Gen, Team Awesome, Torture, Whipping, a little hurt/comfort, an excuse to write graphic violence? yes please, becuz they live in my head rent free, big bad violence stuffs, carving, i havent done this in awhile leave me alone, i would like andrews head on a platter, uhh how do i tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:13:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26841205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saadiswrites/pseuds/saadiswrites
Summary: in which varian is kidnapped by the saporians, eugene tries to rescue him and gets captured as well, and torture ensues. TW for graphic violence and character deaths
Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider & Varian
Series: See No Evil, Speak No Evil, Hear No Evil [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1957894
Comments: 6
Kudos: 41





	See No Evil

**Author's Note:**

> just a lil note: this is a cleaned up angst ramble i did in a discord server so its a little messy!!!

Eugene hadn't seen Varian since he had been captured. In a panic, he went after him, remembering Andrew's promise that traitors to Saporia never live. He didn't want to believe that the man would kill Varian, but he wouldn't put it past him. Rapunzel had said that he held him over the side of the airship, threatening to drop him. Of course he lived then, but the thought of Varian potentially being in life-threatening danger and Eugene not being able to do anything made his stomach twist in knots.

He was restrained. He was tied up against a post with his hands behind his back. The ropes were too tight, and they burned against his wrists. The Saporians had searched him for weapons and confiscated his dagger, his only hope of getting free from the restraints.

As he struggled to think of an escape the door suddenly opened. Andrew marched in with purpose and a smirk plastered on his face. He yanked Varian in with him by his upper arm. Varian hissed in pain from the rough treatment. His eyes widened in surprise and hope when he saw Eugene. Eugene almost smiled himself, until he noticed a dark bruise forming on the kid's face. He had been hit. Hard. Yeah, he was happy to see him alive, but he didnt know how long Andrew intended to keep him that way.

"Andrew, what did you do to him?" Eugene growled. Andrew scoffed in amusement and glanced at Varian, who was rubbing his bruise in an attempt to soothe it.

"I think that's pretty obvious, Fitzherbert. The real question you should be asking though, is what I'm  _ going _ to do to him."

Eugene felt his chest tighten, and he saw Varian tense up. Andrew could do anything to him, and he couldn't stop him. 

"You're not going to..." he started, but he couldn't bring himself to say  _ kill him _ . His voice gave out before then, his throat suddenly very dry. He couldn't cry now, not in front of Varian. He had to be strong for him. 

"Kill him? Ah, well, you know the saying. Traitors to saporia never live. So I'm afraid, yes, I'll have to kill him. But first," Andrew's eyes took on a dangerous gleam, "Let's have a little fun." 

_ Fun _ . Eugene didn't like the sound of that. He glanced over at Varian, who was hugging himself and shaking, willing himself not to cry, but his eyes were already fogging over with tears. He was terrified out of his mind. Eugene wanted to hold him, to comfort him, to protect him and tell him everything was alright, because  _ damn _ it hurt to see him like this. But he was stuck. They were both at Andrew's mercy.

Andrew crossed to the other side of the room to dig through a box. Eugene dreaded what he was looking for. A weapon of sorts? Something to hurt varian? Ropes to tie him up as well? Something worse? To his surprise, Andrew pulled out a moderately sized cloth. He then turned back to Eugene and approached him. 

A gag. It was a gag. Andrew was trying to keep him from speaking. Eugene defiantly clenched his jaw, only to be met with the cloth being tied around the top of his face, covering his eyes. A blindfold? Why did he need to blindfold him? What was he going to do?

"See, I was thinking it'd be a blast to torture the kid in front of you. But I figure it'd be more fun this way. You'll still hear his screaming and crying, but you wont get to see a thing."

A small sob escaped varian, and his breathing became irregular.

"No! No, please, don't hurt him. He doesn't deserve this. He's just a kid. please." Eugene pleaded. He heard a shuffling sound. Andrew had moved away from him. He didn't listen.

"Oh, but I'm afraid he  _ does _ deserve this. Shall we get started?"

Varian softly sobbed again, whimpering like a small child. He really was afraid of this man. Eugene recalled he never spoke much about his past relationship with the Saporians and Andrew. He never lingered on the subject and seemed uncomfortable when it was brought up. It made him fear what the man had done to him in the past.

He heard the sound of Andrew rummaging through the box again. Oh god, this time he couldn't see what he was searching for. After several seconds, the rummaging stopped, and Eugene swore he heard a faint, but dark chuckle. Varian continued crying, becoming a bit louder, whimpering  _ no, no, please, don't. no, no, please. _

"Hold still and cooperate, and this won't take as long." Andrew snapped. his voice came from directly in front of Eugene. 

"Don't hurt him!" Eugene shouted, although it came out more pleading than he had hoped. This time, Andrew laughed clearly.

"Seeing as you're the one tied up and blindfolded, I don't think you're in any position to be making demands, Eugene." Andrew's voice dripped with venom and amusement, and it made Eugene's blood run cold. "Now, brat, take off your shirt and get on your hands and knees." That was a pretty good giveaway.

"No,  _ please- _ " Varian pleaded, his voice breaking.

"Now." That was all it took to apparently shut Varian up. The room went silent, save for the very faint sounds of rustling fabric, the undoing of buttons, and a shirt hitting the floor. Varian was trying to steady his breathing, but it still came out pained and irregular. 

Then all was silent. Eugene didn't even notice he had stopped breathing, dreading the worst. His mind was swarming with thoughts, anxieties, fears that when he returned home, Varian wouldn't be with him. Fears of what he would see when the blindfold came off. The room may have been quiet, but his mind was loud and screaming at him. 

The silence was abruptly broken by the sound of a whip cracking, followed by a shrill scream. Varian sobbed violently, but before he had a chance to beg or protest, the whip came down again, this time louder and harsher, eliciting a louder scream. 

"STOP! Please, Andrew, stop hurting him!" Eugene's pleas fell on deaf ears as the whip cracked once again and Varian continued sobbing.

_ Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack _ . The whip quickly came down five more times, Varian crying and yelping each time he was hit.

It all went by in a flash. Eugene didn't know how many times he heard the whip come down, he didn't know how many times he begged Andrew to stop, he didn't even know how long it took. By the end of it, Varian was still crying, but it was tired and ragged. 

How was he going to get out of this? He couldn't get out of the restraints no matter how hard he fought. And even if he could, he was unarmed not only against Andrew, but the rest of the Saporians. His only hope was for Rapunzel and the others to somehow come find them. Had she even noticed they were missing yet? Eugene didn't know how much longer Varian, or  _ he _ , could take.

A thud indicated that Andrew had dropped the whip onto the ground. Footsteps, followed by more rummaging. He took a painfully long time searching through that damned box. When the rummaging finally stopped, so did Varian's crying.

"No...No, please, Andrew." Varian whispered. his voice was hoarse from screaming and crying, but it was filled with distinct fear.

"You know, I'm a little disappointed your friend can't see this part. I'm sure he would find  _ great _ enjoyment in it. Ah, well, He'll figure it out sooner or later." Andrew's voice shifted from the side of the room to back in front of Eugene, where Varian was.

"Andrew, whatever you're going to do, don't. As the captain of the guard, I  _ command _ you." 

"Again with the demands?" Andrew laughed. "I don't think you can stop me. Now, your little buddy here is a traitor. I trusted him, and he betrayed all of us. You wanna know what I'm doing to him? I'm just going to make sure its known what traitorous scum he is. Not that it will matter in just a few hours from now. Kid, I suggest you stay still, because this is going to hurt. A lot."

Varian's crying resumed. It hurt eugene to hear. It hurt that he couldn't see anything, couldn't do anything. He couldn't help him, he couldn't save him. He was failing him.

"Andrew, please, he's had enough.  _ Please _ ." he begged the man, and got only a dark chuckle in response. 

"Varian, do you know how to spell traitor?" Andrew whispered. Eugene fell silent, as did Varian. "I think it starts with a-" 

The silence was broken by Varian screaming, an intense, pained scream despite the hoarseness. It broke midway and mixed with sobs and pleas for mercy, pleas for Andrew to stop, pleas for Eugene to help him. Varian knew Eugene was helpless. He knew he could do nothing. But he was so pained and delirious, he was desperate for a savior. And Eugene was again, failing him.

What was he even doing to him? There was no giveaway besides the screaming and crying. After a few minutes ((that felt like an eternity)) Varian's screams calmed a bit, completely melting into sobs. 

"See, kid, if you hadn't moved so much, this wouldn't have taken so long. And that's only the first letter. What a shame. Don't worry, when I'm done this will be a beautiful display."

_ Display _ . Was he...was he carving the word into him? God, that's what it sounded like. He Didn't want to believe it, but there was no other explanation. Varian couldn't take any more of this. 

"Andrew, stop! Don't hurt him any more. Hurt  _ me _ . please, hurt me." he cried.

"Oh, but Eugene, it was never my intention to hurt you. Sure, my plan was originally just to kill the kid, but then you came along and things got...interesting. So, in a way, this is  _ your _ fault, isn't it? He definitely wouldn't be hurting so much if it weren't for you."

Eugene fell speechless at that. He was right, wasn't he? He didn't want to imagine varian dead. He couldn't. But if he would be by the end of this, he was starting to wish he had never come. that he had never followed—no. He shouldn't have let him be captured in the first place. He should have checked on him more often. He should've doubled security in the dungeons. He could've prevented this. It was all his fault.

"Next letter."

"Eugene," Varian sobbed. his voice was tired, delirious from the pain, "please, help me.  _ Please _ . Don't let him hurt me." 

"Don't-don't worry, Varian, it's gonna be okay. I promise. I'm gonna get you out of here." Eugene's stomach twisted. Don't make promises you might not be able to keep. No, no, he couldn't give up now. He'd already let Varian down before, he couldn't let him down this time. He'd find a way. He'd get him out. Somehow.

Andrew didn't hesitate to start on the next letter. Or the next after that. Eugene wasn't sure if he paused between them, it sounded like Varian just kept on  _ screaming _ . He was surprised he had any voice left to do that. It was clearly broken and faded in some parts, but strong nonetheless. If he survived this, it was definitely going to take a toll on his vocal chords.

Eugene offered the most comfort he could through it all, shouting over Varian's screams, telling him it was gonna be okay, he was so strong, he could get through this, he was proud of him. He didn't even know if Varian could hear him through the pain and his own screams. He supposed it was more for his own comfort. Not that it helped much.

After an excruciatingly long time, Andrew was finally finished. Eugene heard the metal clang of the dagger, or knife, or whatever he was using hit the floor. Varian stopped screaming, but the crying continued, almost silent this time. He was probably exhausted. It was a surprise he hadn't passed out from the pain already.  _ God, he was a strong kid. _

"Should we let Eugene take a look at you? I'm quite proud of the lettering." Andrew said, as if it was a casual matter. Like he was discussing a painting or a letter. Not the torture of an innocent child. It was wrong.

Varian only whimpered in response, no way of telling if it was positive or negative. Still, Andrew had already made up his mind, as Eugene felt the cloth being ripped from his vision. He let his eyes adjust to the light before they focused on Varian.

He felt sick.

Varian was doubled over on the ground, crying and breathing heavily. His entire body was trembling and looked like it was going to give out. That wasn't even the worst of it. His back was a horrid sight. It was littered with marks and cuts from the whip, there seemed to be dozens. Some were only nasty scratches, while others were so deep they bled. They even continued onto his shoulders and arms.

And of course, the word  _ traitor _ was carved into his back. The letters were scratchy and deep, and much bigger than they should have been. Eugene could barely make out the word through all of the blood. God, there was so much blood. Varian was hardly sobbing anymore, he didn't have the energy to. The only sound in the room was his shaky breathing.

"A-Andrew...he's gonna...he's gonna bleed out." Eugene breathed. He meant to sound louder and threatening, he really did, but he couldn't find it in himself to speak more than a whisper. Whether it was because he was scared out of his mind, or making sure he could hear varians raspy breaths, or both, he found himself in quiet shock.

"That was the plan, wasn't it? To kill him? I thought I'd let you get one last look at him before he's completely gone." Andrew smirked. Eugene did not miss that face. He wanted to break free of his ropes and bash it into the wall. He wanted to get Varian out of there, to safety. Safety in  _ his _ arms.

"Please, I-I'll do anything! Don't let him die, don't let him bleed out, I'll do  _ anything _ ." He pleaded, tears already starting to form. He tried his best not to cry in front of Varian, but he couldn't help it now. He-he might lose him! Forever! 

" _ Anything? _ " There was a dangerous twinkle in Andrew's eye, and it filled Eugene with dread. Still, this was his only chance. He swallowed and nodded profusely.

"Yes! Yes, please, I'll do anything, just don't let him die, please, let him live." Eugene's voice was too shrill for his own liking, but he was in a panic now. He didn't want to waste any time while Varian was in this state.

"Well, then I'll bandage him up. Stop the bleeding. Then I'll let you go." Andrew's voice was too calm. It wasn't right.

"A-and then?"

"And then, I'll have  _ you _ punish him."

Eugene's heart sank. Of course. He shouldn't have expected Andrew to have any mercy. Hell, he just brutally beat and carved the kid, it was stupid for Eygene to ever have hope that he would have any kind of mercy on Varian.

"Wha-what do you mean by  _ punish _ him?" he blurted out without thinking. He realized he didn't really want to know the answer.

"Oh, you'll see." Andrew mused, before crossing the room to get to that damned box. This time, after he rummaged through it, he pulled out some bandages. He wasn't going to treat the wounds, but at least the kid wouldn't bleed out right then.

Andrew pulled Varian into a sitting position on his knees without warning, prompting a broken whimper that echoed in Eugene's head. he didn't hesitate to begin wrapping the bandages around his torso and chest, nor did he really seem to care about being gentle. Varian winced every time a new bandage was applied. When he was finally done, Andrew stood up and approached Eugene.

"Now, if you try anything funny, remember I have my men waiting right outside, armed. You don't stand a chance against all of us. You slip up one time, and I'll kill the kid. You got it?"

Eugene stared into the mans eyes, looking for any hint of emotion, any proof of guilt or mercy, but there was nothing. Amusement. Andrew found joy in this. The sick, demented monster.

"I've got it."

"Now  _ that's _ what I like to hear, Fitzherbert." Andrew walked around behind him and started to cut through the ropes that bound his wrists. It was hard to believe that a rope was the only thing keeping him from helping Varian. A rope. it was ridiculous. He just wasn't trying hard enough. It was his fault he was hurt so much, wasn't it?

Andrew noticed his hesitation. "You can stand up." he spoke to him like he was an equal, but he could hear the underlying demand. The underlying threat. Eugene's eyes darted over to Varian for a moment, and he slowly rose. 

"Varian, can you-can you hear me? It's gonna be okay." he tried, his voice shaky. Varian didn't respond to this, or react at all. He stayed with his head hung towards the ground, his eyes squeezed tight, breathing heavily. 

"Oh, he probably can't hear a thing right now," Andrew scoffed, "I bet his ears are ringing like hell." Varian did look disoriented. Eugene wondered if he had heard any of the things he had said to him.

Andrew stepped away from Eugene for a moment to reach down and pick up the whip from next to Varian. Eugene shuddered, and was about to protest before he realized Andrew didn't intend on using it again, instead he crossed the room and dropped it in the box. He almost sighed in relief. almost. he still had no idea what Andrew expected him to do.

"Should we-should we give him a minute to calm down?" Eugene asked. His voice was nervous and uncertain. He didn't know what could set Andrew off, and he figured if something did, he would take it out on Varian. 

"Oh, no, he's had plenty of time," Andrew laughed, "why don't you snap him out of that? Give him a good kick." Eugene froze on the spot, staring at him with wide eyes. "Aw, come on, Eugene. You said you'd do anything. He's still alive and well. I held up my end of the deal, I expect you to make good on yours. Unless you want to go back on it? I can still always go ahead and-"

" _ No! _ No, that-that won't be necessary. I'll do it." Eugene stammered. he looked down at Varian, who was now holding his head in his hand. His eyes were slightly open as he stared blankly at the floor. He was still out of it, but he was starting to regain his senses.  _ Come on, eugene. you can do this. You don't want to hurt him, but you have to. to keep him alive. Don't even think about it. By tomorrow this will all seem like it was a dream. No, a nightmare. _

He approached Varian. Varian blinked, and shifted his gaze slightly upwards to look at his boots. He noticed he was there. Eugene almost wished he was still completely disoriented. It would be easier for the both of them.

He sucked in a breath and kicked him in the gut, careful not to use his full force. Varian yelped like an injured dog and coughed, doubling over on himself and holding his stomach. Eugene nervously glanced to the side and saw that Andrew wasn't satisfied. He shut his eyes and kicked him again, this time closer to his side. Varian cried out, hissing in pain. This time, Varian slowly looked up, stopping at his eyes. Eugene froze, staring into his. He saw the recognition. The pain. The hurt. The betrayal. Varian didn't have the energy to speak, but he didn't need to. Just looking at those sad, hurt eyes was enough to shatter Eugene. 

"That got him." Andrew chuckled darkly. "Now let's try something a bit more  _ fun _ ."

Varian hadn't heard them. Varian hadn't heard them when they made their deal, and he thought Eugene was just hurting him. Eugene barely stifled a sob, trying to stay strong for him, but his head was starting to spiral and he couldn't handle the pain in Varian's eyes. He was afraid...of  _ him _ .

"Kid, I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I have to—" he tried to explain himself but was cut off by Andrew.

"Yeah, he doesn't have a choice, kid. It was you or him." he smiled deviously, narrowing his eyes and crossing his arms smugly. Eugene's breath caught in his throat. that wasn't right.

"No, I-I—" the smile faded from Andrew's face, darkening immediately. It sent a shiver down Eugene's spine. He...he had to let Varian believe he was hurting him on his own accord...Varian, who had put so much trust into him, so much love, depended on him. Varian stared up at him with wide eyes brimming with tears. The boy scanned and scrutinized his face, every feature, shaking silently, just waiting for Eugene to say otherwise, to say it was a lie, but received no response. When all Eugene could bring himself to do was open and close his mouth uselessly, Varian let out a sob, and lowered his head, the now constant crying making his body tremble even more.

It was okay—no, no, it wasn't okay, nothing about this was okay—but it would be. He was only doing this so Varian would live, and as soon as they were safe and free, he would explain everything. He'd tell him he was only saving his life, he loved him, he would never hurt him on purpose.

But he was beginning to wonder if what Andrew had in store was worse than killing him.

"Aw, would you look at the poor thing." Andrew chuckled, his voice sickly sweet. He took a step closer to the two of them and leaned down, lifting varians head gently by his chin. Varian didn't resist or try to fight back. He knew he was completely at Andrew's mercy, he wasn't surprised about that. But...Eugene...he was different. He trusted him, he loved him. And now he was the one hurting him. Now, Eugene was forced to look into varians teary eyes, filled with pain and hurt. Betrayal.

Eugene was supposed to save him. Not hurt him. What was he doing?

"Ah well, once a selfish jerk, always a selfish jerk, you know how the saying goes. It's nothing personal, kiddo, your old pal Eugene here's just trying to save his hide. You understand, right?" The man's grip on Varian's jaw tightened, and Varian just closed his eyes, letting tears slip down his face. 

Eugene couldn't even bring himself to speak. He didn't know what to say. He couldn't even tell Varian why he was hurting him, lest Andrew go back on their deal and kill him. His hands shook by his sides, and he was barely keeping himself from breaking down on the spot.

"I know that pitiful face is hard to look at, Eugene," Andrew suddenly released varian, and stepped back, "say, why don't we fix that?" Eugene's heart dropped to his stomach as the other gestured to the fireplace.

"Wait, w-what—no, No. No." Eugene growled, though he was trembling all over. He dared glance down at Varian, whose face had paled, drained of all color and emotion. the boy stared with wide eyes at the fire, his expression unreadable, but it was undoubtedly filled with shock and fear. 

"Oh, but—" Andrew started, that stupid sneer on his face that made Eugene want to tear it off.

"No! I won't do it, I won't do that to him, he doesn't deserve that." Eugene grounded himself a bit more, managing to keep still and keep his voice level for the most part. He couldn't be scared in front of Varian.

But, by  _ god _ , he was terrified.

What if this was all for nothing? What if Andrew forced Eugene to torture him, forced him to hurt him and shatter his heart until there was nothing left, only to go back on his word and kill him anyways? Hd had no reason to make good on the deal, he wasn't exactly known to be truthful in the past. Every part of Eugene was screaming at him to pick Varian up and run, but he was unarmed and in an unfamiliar place. Even if he managed to get out, he had no idea how he would get back home. This was his only shot at saving Varian. Hurt him...hurt him to save him. He just wished Varian wasn't so small, so vulnerable, so afraid.

"Don't worry, you aren't gonna shove his face into the fire or something, though that would be interesting to see," Andrew mused, crossing the room to get back to that dreaded box, except this time Eugene could see clearly what he was retrieving. He pulled out a medium sized stick of iron, but that wasn't all it was. upon further inspection, it was wider at the end, with a symbol etched into it. It was a  _ brand _ .

"You wanted him to live, so I'll let him live, but you'll regret it, believe me. You see this?" He lifted the branding iron, showing off the symbol carved into it. "It's the saporian emblem. So he'll never forget what he did to Saporia, and you'll never forget what you did to him. All works out, right?"

Eugene stopped breathing for a moment, long enough to hear Varian's own breath hitch. Not that it would've changed anything had he missed it, because suddenly Varian came back to his senses and allowed it to register. He cried out in pain and fear, shaking and managing out a few  _ no _ 's and  _ please _ 's in between sobs. 

"Do me a favor and kick him in the face to shut him up, will you?"

Andrew turned his back to heat up the branding iron, and Eugene's heart jumped. He couldn't escape now, he couldn't risk it, but he crouched down to Varian's height and reached out to cup his cheek in his hand. Varian flinched at the contact, his own hand shooting up to grab Eugene's wrist. He paused, looking into Eugene's eyes, searching for something, with his own confused and desperate ones.

"Kid, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, it's gonna be okay." he swiped his thumb across his face, voice soft, praying Andrew couldn't hear him over the fire.

Varian blinked, and furrowed his brows before pushing Eugene's hand away roughly. "For  _ you _ ." he whispered, and Eugene felt his heart crack. 

"Varian—" he tried, but without warning, Andrew shoved Eugene out of the way, kicking Varian hard across the face. Where Eugene had been holding him. Varian yelped and lost his balance, falling onto his side and spitting out blood. Shaking, he managed to pull himself back up again and rub the bruise in an attempt to console the aching. 

Andrew shoved the branding iron in front of Eugene's face, tapping his foot impatiently.

With slow, trembling hands, Eugene took the iron, trying to hold it still. It burned angrily, hungrily, awaiting to taint and ruin innocent flesh. 

"Kill me."

Eugene snapped his head up to look at varian. His eyes widened in disbelief. "What?"

"I said kill me." Varians voice cracked, but he sounded more certain than he ever had in his life. "I can't take it. I can't take this. Please...kill me." Eugene couldn't find words. He looked over at Andrew, silently pleading for instruction. He didn't know what to do. Would Varian really rather...die?

"Personally, I don't care one way or the other what happens. So it's your call, Eugene. Choose what you think is best for him, just like you always do." Andrew crossed his arms, a smirk playing at his lips. 

Eugene slowly turned back to face Varian, who was a trembling, crying mess. He allowed everything to sink in now. The dark bruises on his face, the blood leaking from the corner of his mouth, his puffy eyes, bloodshot from crying, and of course the bloody bandages haphazardly wrapped around his torso and arms. He could make it through this, Eugene had no doubt about it. He was a strong kid. But, could he live like this...? If he did this, it was irreversible. He couldn't erase the pain, or the suffering, or the permanent physical scars that would undoubtedly plague him for the rest of his life.

But at least he had a life. It—it wasn't selfish. He just wanted his kid back. Alive. Varian deserved to live. A hard life was better than no life, right?

_ Right? _

Eugene lowered his head, thinking it over one last time. 

"Can you hold him down for me?" 

Andrew's grin grew wide across his face. "That's more like it, Captain." Unlike Eugene, he didn't hesitate to lay a hand on Varian. Both hands. Varian didn't physically try to resist, he knew better, but his eyes never left Eugene's. 

Once Andrew had successfully pinned Varian down on the cold stone floor, Eugene slowly stood up, careful not to drop the branding iron. He sucked in a breath as he approached the boy. 

He had to do this. There was no other choice, he couldn't have Varian dying. He could be upset with him, that was fine, hell, he was upset with himself, but in the end he'd be alive and that's what mattered. He brushed his fingertips soothingly across his bruised cheek before holding the iron down on it.

Varian screamed.

Eugene winced and wanted to recoil from the sound of Varian's shrill, agonized screams, but he persisted. They were hardly louder than the sound of burning flesh, and the scent was starting to get to his head, too. It pained him to do, but he had to. He  _ had _ to. Varian would thank him later, he would collapse into his arms and he'd thank him for saving his life, but first he just had to get through this. 

He held the branding iron still with his right hand and brushed Varian's hair out of his face with his left, trying anything he could to soothe the poor boy. "It's okay, Varian, it's gonna be okay, you're so strong, you can get through this, I believe in you." he wasn't sure if this was more for his own peace of mind or Varian's. Varian didn't seem to register it at all, he only continued to scream, a steady stream of tears falling down his face. 

It felt like an eternity, but soon Andrew nodded, gesturing for Eugene to release the iron. He did so eagerly, allowing it to fall onto the ground. Immediately, he used his free hand to run his fingers through the boy's hair and caress the unharmed side of his face, attempting to calm him down. It was, for the most part useless, as Varian continued to tremble and cry, his eyes squeezed shut in pain. The Saporian emblem stood proudly on his cheek, mocking Eugene. He shouldn't have done this.

Andrew stood up, grabbing both the branding iron and dagger from off of the ground and crossing the room to place them in that damned box. This time, though, once he placed them back inside, he shut the lid and locked it at least three times, stowing the keys away in his pocket.

"It's been a blast, you two, but I'm on a bit of a tight schedule, so I'm gonna have to leave you here for the night. Please don't be mad at me?" Andrew feigned puppy dog eyes, and just the sight made Eugene want to vomit. 

"You can't just leave us here! He needs a doctor!" he yelled, his hand resting on Varian's forehead that was suddenly feeling too warm.

"Oh, I can. and I will. Don't bother trying to escape, there's no use. Even if you did manage to get out through the door, I've got my men outside. So that takes care of that, hm?" the other man chuckled, before promptly making his leave out of the only door. The sound of several locks echoed.

After sitting uselessly and watching Andrew leave, Eugene gently let go of varian before racing to the door. Obviously it did nothing, but he rattled the door handle, beat at the door with his fists, yelled to be let out, and was only met with sick laughter from the Saporians standing guard.

He persisted, shouting angrily to be released, hitting the door even harder.

"Let us out!"

"Would you stop it? It's no use." Eugene froze at the sound of Varian's voice, and slowly turned around. Varian was sitting on the ground with his back against the wall, in the farthest corner. If it weren't for the burning wound on his face he probably would've buried it in his arms.

"Kid!" Eugene cried out, abandoning the door to approach him. He crouched down, and reached out to hug him, only to receive a kick to the gut in return that knocked him back.

Eugene was taken aback. No, he saved his life, that wasn't supposed to happen. He was supposed to be thankful, happy that Andrew was gone. And that Eugene was here for him. He looked up at the kid, and regret flashed through his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by contempt as he furrowed his brows.

"You should have let me die." his voice betrayed his face, as it was shaky and cracked on  _ die _ , but he didn't falter. he was...serious. 

"Wha—Varian, i couldn't just let you—"

"Yes you could! You didnt  _ have _ to do anything!"

"I saved your life!"

"You think i want to live like this?" they both fell silent for a moment after that, and despite the fact that he said it, Varian appeared shocked. His words were strong, but tears streamed down his face, and he was softly sobbing, hiccuping. "I can't live like this, Eugene. I can't—I can't even show my face now, nobody's ever going to trust me, Dad's just gonna  _ fucking _ pity me, and I—I won't even be able to look at myself. Why didn't you let me die?" his voice quietened down towards the end until it was barely a whisper. He looked up at eugene with those wide, hurt eyes that he was starting to get sick of. 

"...I just wanted you to live."

"Don't you ever think about what  _ I _ want? Didn't it ever cross your mind, at least once, that  _ maybe _ I don't wanna live with the word 'traitor' carved into my back or the Saporian emblem branded on my face? Or were you just so obsessed with being a 'hero' that your ego couldn't handle the death of a kid. Thanks, Eugene, thanks for ruining my life. Some kind of hero you are." With that, Varian silenced both Eugene and himself.

Eugene...had no words. He didn't know what to say. He thought he was in the right, he was just so happy that Varian was alive, he never considered...he didn't want to be alive. 

There he went again, ruining everything. All he wanted was for him to be happy. This...this wasn't right. he couldn't just do the right thing for once in his life. He had to and screw it up, and now Varian was never going to look at him the same again. 

He broke down. All those tears, all that hurt he'd been trying to keep inside this whole time to look strong for Varian, all of it, came toppling down like a poorly stacked tower of books, pages full of apologies and regrets, words he couldn't take back, actions he couldn't take back, everything. For the first time, he sobbed. Eugene couldn't keep it together anymore. This was all his fault. He couldn't protect him from Andrew. He couldn't save him when he needed him most. And when Varian needed it, he couldn't kill him.

Varian faltered. He...had never seen Eugene cry like this. He honestly didn't know if he had ever seen him cry. Eugene was strong, he was sure of himself, he never cried. And now he was breaking down in front of him, shaking and holding himself, blubbering apologies in between sobs. It kind of hurt him to watch. He began to regret the things he said and the things he did. What was he doing? Eugene didn't know any better. He...he loved him. And Varian loved him too. So why was he angry?

"Eugene." Varian whispered softly. Eugene wasn't even sure he heard it, but when he looked up, the boy was looking dead in his eyes. He wasn't even angry anymore. They were full of regret. "I—I'm sorry. for what i said."

Eugene sobbed again, doing his best to wipe the tears that fell. "Kid, I'm so, so sorry I should have never let this happen to you, I-I thought I knew what was best for you, but all I did was hurt you, and now this has happened and it's all my fault and I-I would do anything to take it back but I can't and I'm just...so sorry." he was barely coherent, he knew that, but he just wanted to make sure Varian knew he was contrite. He felt utterly horrible. This was all his fault. Varian was hurt, wanted to die, because of him.

"It's my fault." Varian whimpered. "I dragged you into this, I should be dead for all the hurt I cause, it-it's what I deserve." 

"No, no, Varian. You don't deserve to be dead. You deserve to be happy. And I...I ruined that for you. I never meant to—" without warning, Varian wrapped his arms around the man, resting his chin on his shoulder. Another tear fell down Eugene's face, and he held the boy, stroking the back of his hair.

"I love you, Eugene." He couldn't see his face, but he could tell Varian was crying as well. 

"I love you too, kid, I love you so, so much. More than you'll ever know." Eugene hushed him, trying to calm down the sobs, the crying, the shaking. He was hurt, but more than anything, he was so glad to have his boy back in his arms. Even if things got hard, he would always have him. He loved him. something in Eugene's heart fluttered when he realized maybe...he saw Varian as a son.

"Well, I sure hate to interrupt such an adorable moment."

Eugene froze. He wasn't facing the door, but he could already tell who was there. Varian's grip on his shirt tightened, and his nails dug into Eugene's back. He was shaking. God, Andrew scared him.

Eugene slowly released Varian and stood up, standing in front of him defensively. Sure enough, it was Andrew who stood at the door, smirking smugly at the two of them.

"Aw, isn't that cute. I'm a little disappointed, to tell the truth. I was hoping you'd be angrier at each other. Ah, well, I knew I'd have to interrupt sooner or later." He drew his sword and began to cross the room and approach them.

"Don't you touch him." Eugene growled, widening his stance. This was stupid. He had no plan, no weapons. He had no idea how he was going to fight back against a sword, but somehow he had to. He had to make sure Varian got out of this alive.

"Oh, it wont be me doing the job. Sorry buddy, but someone isn't leaving this room alive tonight. Why don't you do your  _ son _ a favor, and put him out of his suffering? It's what he wants, isn't it?" the man pulled out another weapon, this time a much smaller dagger, and held it out to Eugene. 

He couldn't. He couldn't kill varian. He didn't deserve this, he didn't deserve to die. But...he didn't want to live. Eugene glanced behind him. Varian stared into his eyes.  _ Please _ , the boy uttered, barely audible. It hurt him. He finally got Varian back, he couldn't lose him...not now. Not when they were so close to happiness.

So why was he taking the dagger? Why did he turn to Varian? Why did he crouch down to his eye level? Why did he kiss his forehead and whisper an apology? Why did he push back the regret from seeing Varian's wide, tearful eyes? 

_ And why did he plunge the dagger into his own throat? _

Varian screamed as Eugene's body hit the ground, limp, in front of him. Blood pooled around him, staining the stone floor and his clothes. The scream melted into sobs and Varian crawled back, covering his mouth. He was lightheaded, disoriented, terrified out of his mind. This wasn't real. This wasn't happening. Eugene didn't...Eugene wasn't...there was no way.

This was all his fault.

"No! No, no, no, no, no!" he cried, hands flying to pull at his hair. He shut his eyes, not bearing to look at it anymore. He couldn't handle it. He couldn't handle any of this. It wasn't fair. Eugene wasn't supposed to die, he didn't deserve to die.  _ He _ was supposed to die.

"It should've been me..." he whispered, tears streaming down his face. "It should have been me." 

Andrew kicked Eugene's lifeless body out of his way, not bothering to be gentle as he yanked Varian up by his forearm.

"Face it. you've got nothing. I told you, I told you I'd find you again. And now, because you didn't listen, you have nothing. All you have is me. So you'd better get used to it." he began to cross the room again, this time taking Varian with him, roughly dragging him along.

Varian stared wide eyed, blankly at the ground as he barely managed not to trip over his own feet. "It's my fault." he uttered.

"Come on, kid. I've got some work for you to do." Andrew purred. Varian nodded absently in response, and the man ushered them out, closing the door on Eugene for the last time.

**Author's Note:**

> EYO if hardcore violence and angst isnt your thing that is A-OKAY just dont be mean in the comments we dont want none of that here


End file.
